Systems and methods for mobile image capture and processing of documents

ABSTRACT

Techniques for processing images of documents captured using a mobile device are provided. The images can include different sides of a document from a mobile device for an authenticated transaction. In an example implementation, a method includes inspecting the images to detect a feature associated with a first side of the document. In response to determining an image is the first side of the document, a type of content is selected to be analyze on the image of the first side and one or more of regions of interests (ROIs) are identified on the image of the first side that are known to include the selected type of content. A process can include receiving a sub-image of the image of the first side from the preprocessing unit, and performing content detection test on the sub-image.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.13/488,349, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,842,331, filed on Jun. 4, 2012, which isa continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/906,036,filed on Oct. 15, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,577,118, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/778,943,filed on filed May 12, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,582,862. U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/488,349 is also a continuation-in-part of U.S.patent application Ser. No. 12/346,026, filed on Dec. 30, 2008, now U.S.Pat. No. 7,978,900, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/022,279, filed on Jan. 18, 2008, all of which arehereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The embodiments described herein relate to processing images ofdocuments captured using a mobile device, and more particularly toreal-time detection of the content of a financial document for use inmobile banking applications.

2. Related Art

Banks and other businesses have become increasingly interested inelectronic processing of check and other financial documents in order toexpedite processing of these documents. Users can scan a copy of thedocument using a scanner or copier to create an electronic copy of thedocument that can be processed instead of a hardcopy original whichwould otherwise need to be physically sent to the recipient forprocessing. For example, some banks can process digital images of checksand extract check information from the image needed to process the checkwithout requiring that the physical check be routed throughout the bankfor processing. However, the type of information and the accuracy ofinformation which can be processed from an image of a check are limited.As a result, some checks cannot be processed and are rejected during themobile deposit process.

Mobile phones that incorporate cameras have also become ubiquitous andmay also be useful to capture images of financial documents for mobileprocessing of financial information through a mobile network connectionwith a banking institution or business. However, the process ofuploading images of financial documents is often prone to user error, asthe user is often unaware of whether the document is complete and readyfor processing by a business or financial institution. A user with amobile phone or portable electronic device cannot interact with anemployee of the bank in order to determine whether the financialdocument is ready to be processed.

Therefore, there is a need for the ability to obtain additionalinformation from a digital image of a check which has been captured by amobile device in order to streamline mobile banking applications andreduce the amount of transaction errors when a document is incomplete.

SUMMARY

Systems and methods for processing an image of a check captured using amobile device, such as a mobile phone, are provided. These techniquescan be implemented on a mobile device and at a central server, and canbe used to identify content on a check and determine whether the checkis ready to be processed by a business or financial institution. Thesystem can identify portions of the check—such as the endorsementarea—to determine if the check has been properly endorsed. If the checklacks an endorsement, a real time notification can be provided to a userwhich uploaded the check image so the user can correctly endorse thecheck and upload a new check image. Additional portions of the check,including the signature line, the addressee field, etc. can be checkedto ensure that the check is ready to be deposited by the bank.

According to one embodiment, a mobile check image processing system foridentifying content in regions of an image of a check captured by amobile device is provided. The system may comprise a preprocessing unitwhich receives an image of a check from a mobile device, selects a typeof content to be detected on the check image, and identifies at leastone region of interest (ROI); a testing unit which performs at least onecontent detection test on the at least one ROI to detect content of theselected type on the check image; and a feedback unit which receives aresult of the at least one content detection test and provides theresult to a user. The ROI may correspond to an endorsement region on aback side of the check.

According to another embodiment, a method of identifying content inregions of an image of a check captured by a mobile device is provided.The method may comprise receiving an image of a check from a mobiledevice; selecting a type of content to be detected on the check image;identifying at least one region of interest (ROI) on the check image;performing at least one content detection test on the at least one ROIto detect content of the selected type on the check image; and providinga result of the at least one content detection test to a user. The ROImay correspond to an endorsement region on a back side of the check.

According to yet another embodiment, a computer-implemented method forprocessing a mobile-captured image of a check embodied on a computerwith a processor and a memory may comprise receiving an image of a checkfrom a mobile device; selecting a type of content to be detected on thecheck image; identifying at least one region of interest (ROI) on thecheck image; performing at least one content detection test on the atleast one ROI to detect content of the selected type on the check image;and providing a result of the at least one content detection test to auser. The ROI may correspond to an endorsement region on a back side ofthe check.

These and other features, aspects, and embodiments are described belowin the section entitled “Detailed Description.”

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, aspects, and embodiments are described in conjunction with theattached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a high level block diagram of a system for identifying contentin regions of an image of a check captured by a mobile device, accordingto one exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for identifying content in regionsof an image of a check captured by a mobile device, according to oneexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is an image of a back side of a check depicting an endorsementregion where an endorsement should be present, according to oneexemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is an image of a front side of a check depicting a payee fieldwhich can be compared with an endorsement to determine the authenticityof the endorsement, according to one exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a method for testing the quality of a MICR (Magnetic InkCharacter Recognition) line of the check image, according to anembodiment;

FIG. 6 is a method for testing the aspect ratios of front and backimages of a check to test whether the images are of the same check,according to an embodiment; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a computing device on which the mobileimage quality assurance system described above can be implemented,according to an embodiment: and

FIG. 8 is a simplified block diagram illustrating an example-computingmodule in accordance with one embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description is directed to certain specificembodiments. However, it will be understood that these embodiments areby way of example only and should not be seen as limiting the systemsand methods described herein to the specific embodiments, architectures,etc. In this description, reference is made to the drawings wherein likeparts are designated with like numerals throughout.

Systems and methods for processing an image of a check captured using amobile device, such as a mobile phone, are provided. These techniquescan be implemented on a mobile device and at a central server, and canbe used to identify content on a check and determine whether the checkis ready to be processed by a business or financial institution. Thesystem can identify portions of the check—such as the endorsementarea—to determine if the check has been properly endorsed. If the checklacks an endorsement, a real time notification can be provided to a userwhich uploaded the check image so the user can correctly endorse thecheck and upload a new check image. Additional portions of the check,including the signature line, the addressee field, etc. can be checkedto ensure that the check is ready to be deposited by the bank.

Differentiating between characteristics of checks provides additionalinformation to a bank being asked to deposit the check as to thepotential risk of the check being fraudulent. The risk of fraudulentchecks varies depending on the characteristics of the check, and so abank can set up various customized rules. If the check has acharacteristic that is commonly associated with fraud, the bank mayimmediately deny the request, or request additional processing of thecheck image before deciding whether to deposit the check. The user issent a message if the deposit is denied, and may be provided withinstructions to manually deposit the check so that the bank can reviewthe original check.

Content Identification

FIG. 1 is a high level block diagram of a system for identifying contentin regions of an image of a check captured by a mobile device, accordingto one exemplary embodiment. A Mobile Check Image Processing System(MCIPS) 100 is shown as a single unit, although one or more of thecomponents of the MCIPS 100 may reside on a mobile device 102 or on anMCIPS server 104 connected with the mobile device through a network (notshown). In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, a user of the mobiledevice 102 captures an image of a check (“check image”) 106 using animage capture device incorporated within the mobile device 102 orconnected with the mobile device 102. The check image 106 may includemore than one image file, as the user may need to submit an image of afront side of the check and a back side of the check in order for thecheck to be deposited with a bank. Also, in some cases more than oneimage may need to be taken of one side of the check in order to clearlycapture the content of the check, so the check image 106 will thereforerefer to the one or more images of the check which are submitted to theMCIPS 100. The check image 106 is transmitted from the mobile device 102to a preprocessing unit 108 at the MCIPS server 104, where the checkimage 106 is processed to select a type of content to be identified andidentify at least one region of interest (ROI) where that type ofcontent would be present. The ROI will correspond to a particular areaof the check that is known to contain specific content, such as anendorsement, a payor name, a payor address, bank account number, routingnumber, etc. Programs which execute particular algorithms to identify aspecific ROI are stored in an ROI programs database 110 connected withthe preprocessing unit 108. The preprocessing unit 108 selects one ormore programs to run which identify one or more ROIs on the check image106 that should contain the specific content needed to perform a mobiledeposit process. In the embodiments described herein, the ROI may be anendorsement region on a back side of the check where an endorsement isfound.

Once the ROIs are identified, the check image 106 is sent to a testingunit 112 to perform one or more content detection tests on theidentified ROIs. In one embodiment, the preprocessing unit may send asub-image of the check image 106 which contains only the identified ROIsin order to streamline the process by sending only the relevant ROIsthat need to be tested. Sending the sub-image would be particularlybeneficial if the preprocessing unit is located on the mobile device 102and the testing unit is located on the MCIPS server 104, as thetransmission of only the ROIs across a network would take less time. Thetesting unit 112 obtains content detection tests from a test and rulesdatabase 114 connected with the testing unit 112. The content detectiontests are programs that identify specific content in the ROIs, such asan endorsement signature in an endorsement ROI. The content detectiontests may identify the presence or absence of particular content ordistinguish between one or more types of content in the ROI. Forexample, an endorsement content detection test may first identifywhether an endorsement is present in the endorsement ROI, but will alsodetermine the type of endorsement—such as a hand-written signature or astamp.

In one embodiment, the content on the check can be manually entered bythe user. The check content can be optionally provided by the user atthe time that the check is captured. This check content can includevarious information from the check, such as the check amount, checknumber, routing information from the face of the check, or otherinformation, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, a mobiledeposition application requests this information from a user of themobile device, allows the user to capture an image of a check or toselect an image of a check that has already been captured, or both, andthe mobile deposit information provides the check image, the checkcontent, and other processing parameters to the MCIPS 100.

Once the testing unit performs the appropriate content detection tests,the results of the tests are forwarded to a feedback unit 116 to analyzethe results and provide appropriate feedback to the user or to a bank118. If the endorsement content detection test determines that there isno endorsement on the check, the feedback unit 116 will generate amessage to send back to the mobile device 102 telling the user that theendorsement is missing and perhaps requesting that the user endorse thecheck and upload a new image of the endorsed check. Or, if theendorsement is complete, the feedback unit 116 will generate and send amessage to the mobile device 102 indicating that the check is properlyendorsed and will be deposited in the user's account. The feedback unit116 may also generate messages to send to the bank 118 which isreceiving the deposited check. For example, the messages may indicatewhether the check is ready to be deposited, if a problem has beendetected which requires the bank to perform additional processing of thecheck image, or if the user needs to physically bring the check in.

The feedback unit 116 may generate messages by accessing a feedbackmessage database 120 which stores the messages. The feedback messagedatabase 120 may also store rules for generating messages based on theresults of the tests performed. In one embodiment, the bank 118 mayconfigure the rules stored in the feedback message database 120 so thatcertain messages are sent to the bank or the user depending on theresults of the tests performed.

The feedback unit 116 may also be configured to take a particular actionthat coincides with the message that is being delivered to the user orthe bank. If an endorsement is not present on the check, the feedbackunit 116 may also suspend the mobile deposit process and await a newcheck image from the user. Once the revised check image is received andthe testing unit 112 returns a positive test confirming the presence ofan endorsement, the feedback unit 116 reactivates the mobile depositprocess and sends a message to the bank 118 that the check is ready tobe deposited.

In certain embodiments, the mobile application can display informationon the mobile device shortly after the user takes the mobile documentimage to allow the user to retake the image if the image is found tohave defects that affect the overall status of the image. In someembodiments, where the MCIPS 100 is implemented at least in part on themobile device, the MCIPS 100 can include a user interface module that isconfigured to display the test results message on a screen of the mobiledevice 102.

FIG. 1 merely provides a description of the logical components of theMCIPS 100. In some embodiments, the MCIPS 100 can be implemented on themobile device, in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. In otherembodiments, the MCIPS 100 can be implemented on a remote server (notshown), and the mobile device can send the check image 106 e.g., via awireless interface, to the remote server for processing. The remoteserver sends the test results and test messages to the mobile device 102to indicate whether the mobile image passed testing. In someembodiments, part of the functionality of the MCIPS 100 can beimplemented on the mobile device 102 while other parts of the MCIPS 100are implemented on the remote server. The MCIPS 100 can be implementedin software, hardware, or a combination thereof. In still otherembodiments, the MCIPS 100 can be implemented entirely on the remoteserver, and can be implemented using appropriate software, hardware, ora combination thereof.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method for identifying content in at leastone region of an image of a check captured by a mobile device, accordingto one exemplary embodiment. In step 205, the check image is receivedfrom the mobile device. In step 210, the type of content to beidentified is selected—either a test to check for an endorsement or atest to determine other content. In one embodiment, both tests can beselected and run either simultaneously or in sequence.

If the endorsement test is selected (“Endorsement”), the next step isstep 215 to identify a region of interest (ROI) where the endorsementwould be present on the check. In many situations, the ROI is on theback of the check in an endorsement area (see FIG. 3). Next, in step220, a content detection test is run on the selected ROI to determine ifan endorsement is present. In step 225, the results of the test ofwhether the endorsement is present are used to determine the next step.If the endorsement is not present, then, in step 230, the user isnotified that the check they are attempting to deposit has not beenendorsed. This notification may also include instructions to correct theerror. Once the user is notified, the mobile deposit process may besuspended (step 270) until another image is submitted. If theendorsement is present in the ROI, an endorsement comparison test may beexecuted at step 235, where the identified endorsement is compared witheither a signature or stamp stored on the MCIPS server, or where thesignature or stamp is compared with the name listed in a payee field(see FIG. 4) on a front area of the check to determine if the person orentity endorsing the check is the same person that the check isaddressed to. In step 240, if the endorsement does not match the storedendorsement or the payee field, the user is notified (step 230) and themobile deposit process may be suspended (step 270). If the endorsementdoes match the payee field name or the stored endorsement signature orstamp, the mobile deposit process may be completed in step 245.

If the “Other Type” test is selected at step 210, a region of interest(ROI) on the check image is identified in step 250 where the other typecontent would be indicated. In step 255, a content detection test is runon the identified ROI to determine characteristics of the other type.Once the characteristics of the other type have been identified, thecharacteristics are evaluated in step 260 based on processing rulesestablished for the other type. For example, the processing rule couldcheck for a proper signature by a payer.

FIG. 3 is an image of a back side 300 of a check, depicting anendorsement region 302 where an endorsement should be present, accordingto one exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an image of a front side 400 of a check, depicting a payeefield 402 which can be used to compare with the identified endorsementin order to determine if the endorsement and the payee fields match.

According to some embodiments, the systems and methods for identifyingcontent of a check can be integrated with one or more mobileapplications that process mobile document images, such as mobile depositapplications for processing images of checks to be deposited into a bankaccount. According to an embodiment, the mobile application can run onthe mobile device and can be integrated to use mobile image qualityassurance functionality that is implemented on the mobile device and/oron a remote server. The mobile application can use the system foridentifying content of a check to streamline the mobile deposit process.

MICR-Line Test

In one embodiment, an image of a check can be rejected if the MICR-lineon the check cannot be clearly detected in the image. MICR stands forMagnetic Ink Character Recognition. Information can be printed on thefront of a check in a special typeface using a special magnetized ink.Therefore, the MICR-line test is useful to determine which side of thecheck is in a check image before a region of interest (ROI) is selected.A MICR IQA test can use optical character recognition techniques toidentify the MICR information on a check. If the MICR line on the frontof the check is damaged, simply retaking an image of the check will notcorrect the defects in the image and the image will be rejected;however, if the MICR line was merely blurry or unreadable due to one ormore of the factors described above, retaking the image after correctingone or more of factors may result in a high-enough quality image thatthe MICR line can be read from the check.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method for testing the quality of a MICR (MagneticInk Character Recognition) line of the check image, according to anembodiment. The MICR-line Test is used to determine whether a highquality image of a check front has been captured using the mobile deviceaccording to an embodiment. The MICR-line Test can be used inconjunction with a Mobile Deposit application to ensure that images ofchecks captures for processing with the Mobile Deposit information areof a high enough quality to be processed so that the check can beelectronically deposited. Furthermore, if a mobile image fails theMICR-line Test, the failure may be indicative of incorrect subimagedetections and/or poor overall quality of the mobile image, and such animage should be rejected anyway.

FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a method for executing a MICR-line Testaccording to an embodiment. A mobile image is received (step 505) and abitonal image is generated from the mobile image (step 510). In anembodiment, preprocessing unit 108 extracts the document subimage fromthe check image as described above, including preprocessing such asgeometric correction. The extracted subimage can then be converted to abitonal snippet by the preprocessing unit 108. The MICR line is thenidentified in the bitonal snippet (step 515). According to anembodiment, a MICR recognition engine is then applied to identify theMICR-line and to compute character-level and overall confidence valuesfor the image (step 520). These confidences can then be normalized tothe 0-1000 scale used by the mobile IQA tests where 1000 means highquality and 0 means poor MICR quality. The confidence level is thenreturned (step 525). As described above, the test result value isprovided to the testing unit 112 where the test result value can becompared to a threshold value associated with the test. If the testresult value falls below the threshold associated with the test,detailed test result messages can be retrieved from the feedback andrules database 120 and provided to the user via the feedback unit 116 toindicate why the test failed and what might be done to remedy the test.For example, the user may simply need to retake the image to adjust forgeometrical or other factors, such as poor lighting or a shadoweddocument. In some instances, the user may not be able to correct theerrors. For example, if the MICR line on the document is damaged orincomplete and the document will continue to fail the test even if theimage were retaken.

Front-as-Rear Test

FIG. 6 is a method for testing the aspect ratios of front and backimages of a check to test whether the images are of the same check,according to an embodiment. A Front-as-Rear Test can be used todetermine whether an image that is purported to be the back of a checkis actually an image of the front of the check according to anembodiment. The Front-as-Rear Test is a check specific Boolean test. Thetest returns a value of 0 if an image fails the test and a value of 1000if an image passes the test. If an MICR-line is identified on what ispurported to be an image of the back of the check, the image will failthe test and generate a test message that indicates that the images ofthe check have been rejected because an image of the front of the checkwas mistakenly passed as an image of the rear of the check.

An image of the rear of the check is received (step 605) and the imageis converted to a bitonal snippet by preprocessing unit 108 of the MCIPS100 (step 610). A MICR recognition engine is then applied to identify aMICR-line in the bitonal snippet (step 615). The results from the MICRrecognition engine can then be normalized to the 0-1000 scale used bythe mobile IQA tests, and the normalized value compared to a thresholdvalue associated with the test (step 620). According to an embodiment,the test threshold can be provided as a parameter to the test along withthe with mobile document image to be tested. According to an embodiment,the threshold used for this test is lower than the threshold used in theMICR-line Test described above.

If the normalized test result equals or exceeds the threshold, then theimage includes an MICR-line and the test is marked as failed (testresult value=0), because a MICR line was identified in what waspurported to be an image of the back of the check. If the normalizedtest result is less than the threshold, the image did not include a MICRline and the test is marked as passed (test result value=1000). The testresults value is then returned (step 625).

Computer-Implemented Embodiment

FIG. 7 is an exemplary embodiment of a mobile device 700 than can beused to implement the mobile IQA system according to an embodiment.Mobile device 700 includes a processor 710. The processor 710 can be amicroprocessor or the like that is configurable to execute programinstructions stored in the memory 720 and/or the data storage 740. Thememory 720 is a computer-readable memory that can be used to store dataand or computer program instructions that can be executed by theprocessor 710. According to an embodiment, the memory 720 can comprisevolatile memory, such as RAM and/or persistent memory, such as flashmemory. The data storage 740 is a computer readable storage medium thatcan be used to store data and or computer program instructions. The datastorage 740 can be a hard drive, flash memory, a SD card, and/or othertypes of data storage.

The mobile device 700 also includes an image capture component 730, suchas a digital camera. According to some embodiments, the mobile device700 is a mobile phone, a smart phone, or a PDA, and the image capturecomponent 730 is an integrated digital camera that can include variousfeatures, such as auto-focus and/or optical and/or digital zoom. In anembodiment, the image capture component 730 can capture image data andstore the data in memory 720 and/or data storage 740 of the mobiledevice 700.

Wireless interface 750 of the mobile device can be used to send and/orreceive data across a wireless network. For example, the wirelessnetwork can be a wireless LAN, a mobile phone carrier's network, and/orother types of wireless network.

I/O interface 760 can also be included in the mobile device to allow themobile device to exchange data with peripherals such as a personalcomputer system. For example, the mobile device might include a USBinterface that allows the mobile to be connected to USB port of apersonal computer system in order to transfers information such ascontact information to and from the mobile device and/or to transferimage data captured by the image capture component 730 to the personalcomputer system.

Those of skill in the art will appreciate that the various illustrativemodules, components, engines, and method steps described in connectionwith the above described figures and the embodiments disclosed hereincan often be implemented as electronic hardware, software, firmware orcombinations of the foregoing. To clearly illustrate thisinterchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrativemodules and method steps have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled persons can implementthe described functionality in varying ways for each particularapplication, but such implementation decisions should not be interpretedas causing a departure from the scope of the invention. In addition, thegrouping of functions within a module or step is for ease ofdescription. Specific functions can be moved from one module or step toanother without departing from the invention.

Moreover, the various illustrative modules, components, modules,engines, and method steps described in connection with the embodimentsdisclosed herein can be implemented or performed with hardware such as ageneral purpose processor, a digital signal processor (“DSP”), anapplication specific integrated circuit (“ASIC”), field programmablegate array (“FPGA”) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combinationthereof designed to perform the functions described herein. Ageneral-purpose processor is hardware and can be a microprocessor, butin the alternative, the processor can be any hardware processor orcontroller, microcontroller. A processor can also be implemented as acombination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSPand a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suchconfiguration.

Additionally, the steps of a method or algorithm and the functionalityof a component, engine, or module described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, insoftware executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.Software can reside in computer or controller accessiblecomputer-readable storage media including RAM memory, flash memory, ROMmemory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removabledisk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium including a networkstorage medium. An exemplary storage medium can be coupled to theprocessor such the processor can read information from, and writeinformation to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storagemedium can be integral to the processor. The processor and the storagemedium can also reside in an ASIC.

Referring now to FIG. 9, computing module 1900 that can be used toimplement the systems and methods described herein and may represent,for example, computing or processing capabilities found within desktop,laptop and notebook computers; mainframes, supercomputers, workstationsor servers; or any other type of special-purpose or general-purposecomputing devices as may be desirable or appropriate for a givenapplication or environment. Computing module 1900 might also representcomputing capabilities embedded within or otherwise available to a givendevice. For example, a computing module might be found in otherelectronic devices. Computing module 1900 might include, for example,one or more processors or processing devices, such as a processor 1904.Processor 1904 might be implemented using a general-purpose orspecial-purpose processing engine such as, for example, amicroprocessor, controller, or other control logic.

Computing module 1900 might also include one or more memory modules,referred to as main memory 1908. For example, random access memory (RAM)or other dynamic memory might be used for storing information andinstructions to be executed by processor 1904. Main memory 1908 mightalso be used for storing temporary variables or other intermediateinformation during execution of instructions by processor 1904.Computing module 1900 might likewise include a read only memory (“ROM”)or other static storage device coupled to bus 1902 for storing staticinformation and instructions for processor 1904.

The computing module 1900 might also include one or more various formsof information storage mechanism 1910, which might include, for example,a media drive 1912 and a storage unit interface 1920. The media drive1912 might include a drive or other mechanism to support fixed orremovable storage media 1914. For example, a hard disk drive, a floppydisk drive, a magnetic tape drive, an optical disk drive, a CD or DVDdrive (R or RW), or other removable or fixed media drive. Accordingly,storage media 1914 might include, for example, a hard disk, a floppydisk, magnetic tape, cartridge, optical disk, a CD or DVD, or otherfixed or removable medium that is read by, written to or accessed bymedia drive 1912. As these examples illustrate, the storage media 1914can include a computer usable storage medium having stored thereinparticular computer software or data.

In alternative embodiments, information storage mechanism 1910 mightinclude other similar instrumentalities for allowing computer programsor other instructions or data to be loaded into computing module 1900.Such instrumentalities might include, for example, a fixed or removablestorage unit 1922 and an interface 1920. Examples of such storage units1922 and interfaces 1920 can include a program cartridge and cartridgeinterface, a removable memory (for example, a flash memory or otherremovable memory module) and memory slot, a PCMCIA slot and card, andother fixed or removable storage units 1922 and interfaces 1920 thatallow software and data to be transferred from the storage unit 1922 tocomputing module 1900.

Computing module 1900 might also include a communications interface1924. Communications interface 1924 might be used to allow software anddata to be transferred between computing module 1900 and externaldevices. Examples of communications interface 1924 might include a modemor softmodem, a network interface (such as an Ethernet, networkinterface card, WiMedia, IEEE 802.XX or other interface), acommunications port (such as for example, a USB port, IR port, RS232port Bluetooth® interface, or other port), or other communicationsinterface. Software and data transferred via communications interface1924 might typically be carried on signals, which can be electronic,electromagnetic (which includes optical) or other signals capable ofbeing exchanged by a given communications interface 1924. These signalsmight be provided to communications interface 1924 via a channel 1928.This channel 1928 might carry signals and might be implemented using awired or wireless communication medium. These signals can deliver thesoftware and data from memory or other storage medium in one computingsystem to memory or other storage medium in computing system 1900. Someexamples of a channel might include a phone line, a cellular link, an RFlink, an optical link, a network interface, a local or wide areanetwork, and other wired or wireless communications channels.

Computing module 1900 might also include a communications interface1924. Communications interface 1924 might be used to allow software anddata to be transferred between computing module 1900 and externaldevices. Examples of communications interface 1924 might include a modemor softmodem, a network interface (such as an Ethernet, networkinterface card, WiMAX, 802.XX or other interface), a communications port(such as for example, a USB port, IR port, RS232 port, Bluetoothinterface, or other port), or other communications interface. Softwareand data transferred via communications interface 1924 might typicallybe carried on signals, which can be electronic, electromagnetic, opticalor other signals capable of being exchanged by a given communicationsinterface 1924. These signals might be provided to communicationsinterface 1924 via a channel 1928. This channel 1928 might carry signalsand might be implemented using a wired or wireless medium. Some examplesof a channel might include a phone line, a cellular link, an RF link, anoptical link, a network interface, a local or wide area network, andother wired or wireless communications channels.

In this document, the terms “computer program medium” and “computerusable medium” are used to generally refer to physical storage mediasuch as, for example, memory 1908, storage unit 1920, and media 1914.These and other various forms of computer program media or computerusable media may be involved in storing one or more sequences of one ormore instructions to a processing device for execution. Suchinstructions embodied on the medium, are generally referred to as“computer program code” or a “computer program product” (which may begrouped in the form of computer programs or other groupings). Whenexecuted, such instructions might enable the computing module 1900 toperform features or functions of the present invention as discussedherein.

While certain embodiments have been described above, it will beunderstood that the embodiments described are by way of example only.Accordingly, the systems and methods described herein should not belimited based on the described embodiments. Rather, the systems andmethods described herein should only be limited in light of the claimsthat follow when taken in conjunction with the above description andaccompanying drawings.

What is claimed is:
 1. A mobile device, comprising: a preprocessing unitin the mobile device and which is configured to: receive images ofdifferent sides of a document from a camera included in the mobiledevice for an authenticated transaction; inspecting the images to detecta feature associated with a first side of the document; in response todetermining an image is the first side of the document, select a type ofcontent to be analyze on the image of the first side; identify aplurality of regions of interests (ROIs) on the image of the first sidethat are known to include the selected type of content; and transmit asub-image of the image of the of the first side to a testing unit,wherein the sub-image is an extracted portion smaller than the image ofthe first side including at least one of the identified ROIs; thetesting unit in the mobile device and which is configured to: receivethe sub-image of the image of the first side from the preprocessingunit; and perform at least one content detection test on the sub-imagewhich includes at least one of the identified ROIs to test the qualityof the selected type of content in the image of the first side; and afeedback unit in the mobile device and which is configured to: generatea message to notify a user of the mobile device when the selected typeof content is fails the at least one content detection test.
 2. Themobile device of claim 1, wherein to inspect the images is based on abitonal image generated from the received images.
 3. The mobile deviceof claim 2, wherein extracted subimage is converted to a bitonalsnippet.
 4. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the preprocessing unitis further configured to compute a confidence value for the sub-image.5. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein the preprocessing unit isfurther configured to conduct geometric correction on the sub-image. 6.The mobile device of claim 1, the feature associated with the first sideis a Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)-line is identified on thereceived image.
 7. The mobile device of claim 1, wherein at least oneROI corresponds to an endorsement region on a first side of thedocument.
 8. The mobile device of claim 7, wherein the selected type ofcontent is an endorsement.
 9. A method of processing a mobile-capturedimage of a document, comprising: in a mobile device, running apreprocessing process comprising: receiving images of different sides ofa document from a camera included in the mobile device for anauthenticated transaction; inspecting the images to detect a featureassociated with a first side of the document; in response to determiningan image is the first side of the document, select a type of content tobe analyze on the image of the first side; identify a plurality ofregions of interests (ROIs) on the image of the first side that areknown to include the selected type of content; and transmitting asub-image of the image of the of the first side to a testing process runwithin the mobile device, wherein the sub-image is an extracted portionsmaller than the image of the first side including at least one of theidentified ROIs; the testing process comprising: receiving the sub-imageof the image of the first side from the preprocessing process; andperforming at least one content detection test on the sub-image whichincludes at least one of the identified ROIs to test the quality of theselected type of content in the image of the first side; and a feedbackprocess run within the mobile device comprising: generating a message tonotify the mobile device when the selected type of content is fails theat least one content detection test.
 10. The method of claim 9, whereininspecting the images is based on a bitonal image generated from thereceived images.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein extracted subimageis converted to a bitonal snippet.
 12. The method of claim 9, whereinthe preprocessing further computes a confidence value for the sub-image.13. The method of claim 9, wherein the preprocessing comprisesconducting geometric correction on the sub-image.
 14. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the feature associated with the first side is aMagnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)-line is identified on thereceived image.
 15. The method of claim 9, wherein at least one ROIcorresponds to an endorsement region on a first side of the document,and wherein the selected type of content is an endorsement.
 16. Anon-transitory computer readable medium on a mobile device comprisinginstructions, that when executed by a processor, cause the instructionsto: perform a preprocessing process configured to: receive images ofdifferent sides of a document from a camera included in the mobiledevice for an authenticated transaction; inspecting the images to detecta feature associated with a first side of the document; in response todetermining an image is the first side of the document, select a type ofcontent to be analyze on the image of the first side; identify aplurality of regions of interests (ROIs) on the image of the first sidethat are known to include the selected type of content; and transmit asub-image of the image of the of the first side to a testing process,wherein the sub-image is an extracted portion smaller than the image ofthe first side including at least one of the identified ROIs; thetesting process configured to: receive the sub-image of the image of thefirst side from the preprocessing process; and perform at least onecontent detection test on the sub-image which includes at least one ofthe identified ROIs to test the quality of the selected type of contentin the image of the first side; and a feedback process configured to:generate a message to notify the mobile device when the selected type ofcontent is fails the at least one content detection test.
 17. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein to inspectthe images is based on a bitonal image generated from the receivedimages, and wherein extracted subimage is converted to a bitonalsnippet.
 18. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16,wherein the preprocessing further computes a confidence value for thesub-image.
 19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 16,wherein the preprocessing further conducts geometric correction on thesub-image.
 20. A mobile device, comprising: a camera configured tocapture images of a document; a processor and a memory couple with theprocessor, the memory configured to store executable instructions thatwhen run by the processor cause the processor to implement apreprocessing unit, a testing unit and a feedback unit, wherein: thepreprocessing unit is configured to execute algorithms stored in a ROIprogram database such that the preprocessing unit will: receive imagesof different sides of a document from a mobile device for anauthenticated transaction; inspecting the images to detect a featureassociated with a first side of the document; in response to determiningan image is the first side of the document, select a type of content tobe analyze on the image of the first side; identify a plurality ofregions of interests (ROIs) on the image of the first side that areknown to include the selected type of content; and transmit a sub-imageof the image of the of the first side to a testing unit, wherein thesub-image is an extracted portion smaller than the image of the firstside including at least one of the identified ROIs; the testing unit isconfigured to execute algorithms stored in a tests and rules databasesuch that the testing unit will: receive the sub-image of the image ofthe first side from the preprocessing unit; and perform at least onecontent detection test on the sub-image which includes at least one ofthe identified ROIs to test the quality of the selected type of contentin the image of the first side; and the feedback unit is configured toexecute algorithms stored in a feedback and rules database such that thefeedback unit will: generate a message to notify a user of the mobiledevice when the selected type of content is fails the at least onecontent detection test.
 21. The mobile device of claim 20, wherein toinspect the images is based on a bitonal image generated from thereceived images.
 22. The mobile device of claim 21, wherein extractedsubimage is converted to a bitonal snippet.
 23. The mobile device ofclaim 20, wherein the preprocessing unit is further configured tocompute a confidence value for the sub-image.
 24. The mobile device ofclaim 20, wherein the preprocessing unit is further configured toconduct geometric correction on the sub-image.
 25. The mobile device ofclaim 20, the feature associated with the first side is a Magnetic InkCharacter Recognition (MICR)-line is identified on the received image.26. The mobile device of claim 20, wherein at least one ROI correspondsto an endorsement region on a first side of the document.
 27. The mobiledevice of claim 26, wherein the selected type of content is anendorsement.